OU to implement autonomy across the varsity

Hyderabad: Buoyed by the grant of highest autonomy under the graded system by the University Grants Commission, Osmania University is gearing up to put in place a series of initiatives to take full advantage of the status.

The University authorities are in discussions with the departments, centres and faculty on how best the autonomy can be implemented across the varsity.

Osmania University, a category I institution by virtue of its A+ status for Seven Years and CGPA score of 3.52 by National Accreditation and Assessment Council, is the only University in Telangana to be granted “graded autonomous” status under category I.

According to a February 2018 notification, Osmania figures in the list of 21 State Universities across the country. The UGC note said that the autonomous status will facilitate Universities to undertake curricular reforms, start new courses, introduce academic innovations, hire foreign faculty, enroll foreign students,

give incentive-based emoluments to the faculty, enter into academic collaborations and run/open distance learning programmes provided they generate their own resources rather than depend on the government.

These Universities can also set up new campuses, start own centres as per their own Act and regulations governing them and have the freedom to fix fees.

“Despite their freedom to start their own courses and introduce new academic programmes, the universities will however remain within the ambit of the UGC,” said Prakash Javadekar, Union HRD minister.

OU Vice Chancellor Prof. S. Ramachandram, responding to this information, expressed his happiness over the granting of autonomy under Category I.

He thanked the entire university teaching and non-teaching staff, research scholars and alumni for their whole hearted cooperation in achieving the A+ status which has helped the university to get autonomy.

He said that the university has been making efforts towards achieving the excellence by ushering in several reforms. The decision by the UGC in the centenary year of the university comes as the double delight.

University Registrar Prof. Ch Gopal Reddy said that the autonomy status will give flexibility to the university in this globally competitive world. (INN)